Jamaica Urban Transit Company Golden Dragon XML 6897J13

As the relationship between China and Jamaica has grown closer, the impact has slowly made itself seen on the streets of the island with more Chinese cars, trucks, bikes, and buses showing up.
This vehicle represents a high profile example of this trend. This is a Golden Dragon XML 6897J13, one of 35 Golden Dragons acquired by the Jamaica Urban Transit Company (the Government owned bus service that operates in and around the nation's capital) in September of 2016. There was a substantial ceremony and fanfare surrounding the purchase as a symbol of growing Jamaican - Chinese relations, and that is also commemorated by the Chinese flag you can see on the side of the bus here. The Chinese Ambassador to the island even made a point of attending the handover ceremony.

Golden Dragon is a subsidiary of King Long, one of the largest Chinese bus manufacturers. King Long sells buses under 3 brands: Higer, Golden Dragon, and King Long (King Long, interestingly, literally translates to "Golden Dragon" in English). Their buses have appeared all over the world as Chinese influence has spread, and you can find them in over 40 nations (Tanzania's new modern bus rapid Transit system, established just a couple of years ago, has a fleet consisting entirely of Golden Dragons and the brand has also found a lot of buyers in the Philippines). King Long brands have a strong foothold in Jamaica now - there is this big batch of Golden Dragons operated by the JUTC and also a significant number of King Longs operated by Knutsford Express, the largest long range/intercity bus operator in Jamaica.